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Tag: Hillcrest

It’s not surprising that this 3,000-plus-square-foot Frisco Colonial for under $400,000 went under contract after just two days on the market. Not only does this red brick colonial at 10306 Mallory Drivehave plenty of room — and four HUGE bedrooms — it checks all the boxes with an optional HOA in this sought-after neighborhood, great Frisco schools in walking distance, and easy commuter access in the “sweet spot” of Collin County.

Homes hold so much more than rooms full of furniture. They carry with them the memories of all the families who spent days, both good and bad, sheltered inside. That’s what makes it difficult for Jon Leatherberry to sell his lovely home in Hillcrest Forest, just east of Hillcrest and north of Northwest Highway. It’s a wonderful, sprawling ranch that has been remodeled to be well-scaled for family life.

“It has really good bones and the floor plan works well for today’s families,” she said. “It’s totally livable right now. The seller lived in home for four years and didn’t change a thing. The breakfast nook is actually beautiful, with that gorgeous ceiling.”

But today’s buyers seem to be lacking in vision and inspiration, because at 2,565 square feet, this home is priced just right for the renovation-minded. This four-bedroom, three-bath home inside the Dallas city limits but with Plano ISD schools is being marketed for just $350,000 — a steal! Plus, buyers will receive a $10,000 allowance toward upgrades, making those Pinterest boards you’ve been carefully curating for your dream house even closer to tangible reality.

Let’s talk about Hill Haven Heights, OK? I love this area. It is a fabulous neighborhood bordered by North Central Expressway, Hillcrest, Forest, and Royal, so it’s extremely accessible. It’s also full of great single-family homes and a few great condo communities. It’s not far from the Park Cities, Preston Hollow, or the scads of shopping options lining Highway 75.

And it’s not out of reach, price-wise, either. In fact, you should check out this amazing traditional at 7707 Northaven Road marketed by Clay Stapp agent Richard Baker. It’s on the market for a recently reduced $529,000. Considering the upgrades on this home, that’s fantastic!

With more than 3,100 square feet, four bedrooms, three and a half baths, and a two-car garage, this home is plenty big for a family. And considering the neighborhood, this is a great house for someone relocating to Dallas. Sometimes it’s hard to find a home like this, that’s move-in ready, plenty of room to move around, and has a family-friendly backyard, pool included. If you’re headed to Dallas for a job transfer, this is the home to buy.

You’ve got granite and travertine, hand-scraped hardwood floors, upgraded kitchen with stainless steel appliances including a wine fridge and custom cabinetry, and two full living areas with an open floor plan. Behind all of that you’ll find practical upgrades such as a radiant barrier insulating the roof, tankless hot water heaters, and a new roof. The large backyard is nothing to sniff at, either.

The master suite is spacious and features an upgraded bath, including a ceiling fan. This is an often-overlooked feature that really helps during the summer. In the bedroom area you’ll notice French doors that look to the pool and deck area — another great feature that makes this room a wonderful retreat.

And if you’re relocating to Dallas, you’ll probably be overwhelmed by your first summer. All the more reason to consider this home, which has a great pool for cooling off when the heat reaches triple digits.

A million dollars and some change, that is. I offer you a bargain, here, a home that, compared to what we have been writing about the last few days, will require the writing of far fewer zeros than, say, $135,000,000. We are talking $1,075,000. Such a bargain, it’s being offered below DCAD appraisal.

Put it on your Amex for points!

Look at what you get at 6926 Lloyd Valley Lane! The location, in case it does not ring a bell, is off of Hillcrest just south of Forest, overlooking the cliffs of Jan-Mar. Lloyd Valley is a charming cul de sac loaded with gorgeous, newer large homes in a secluded, private setting. Gate this street and you will have a fortress, a private Lake Forest. Access to Hillcrest is facilitated by a median that will save your auto on south-bound turns.

Then walk into this home. The front exterior belies what you are about to see. It looks like a Georgian ranch, almost, with red brick and two white columns. The home was built in 1976, which was a very good year, but extensively updated and remodeled in 1995 and since, resulting in a nearly perfect environment. You get four bedrooms, four and a half baths, four living areas plus a study, crafts room and two masters. The home is extremely low maintenance on the yard because the one-half acre lot is green in the front, creekside in the back with just enough green for pets and frolicking. The creek is your zero-maintenance grounds.

And the sellers certainly maximized that glorious creek view — ducks were swimming the January day I visited. From the foyer to the dining room with a charming corner fireplace, to the kitchen and downstairs master, every room takes full advantage of a setting one would expect in Lakewood or Austin. The kitchen is extremely efficient and picture perfect with high end appliances, beautiful custom cabinetry and the requisite granite. Some might call it small, but the breakfast room with huge palladium windows soaking in the views is huge. Huge family room with both study and crafts room off that could be a perfect home business headquarters. I have never seen so much storage, not even in multi million dollar mansions.

On the eastern wing of the home, the master suite has a sunken Sundance spa surrounded by Pau Lope (Brazilian wood) decking. The spa is on a screened porch overlooking the creek. Truly a suite, the master has great storage, an enormous bath with jacuzzi tub that could accommodate a massage table or treadmill easily, toilet and bidet in a closet, and a coffee bar with refrigerator I would make a champagne bar: double duty.

In other words, you could live in the master and never emerge. Isn’t that what a home is all about?

There is a guest room near the master with full bath — I’d make that an exercise studio. Or great room for the hubby to sleep when he’s on call… or the parent on kid duty… ah but who gets the Duxiana? Plenty of space for guests upstairs, two bedrooms, enormous closets, and a master bath because this was, at one point, the master.

I think this is the perfect empty nester home. It’s about 5000 square feet and everything is really on one floor; guests or grandkids can enjoy the upstairs as a suite far from your canoodling in the spa.

But then, it’s also a perfect family home because 2.5 children can enjoy the upstairs away from mom and dad, but still be under their guidance during study time in that family room and office. And little boys would be fishing all day long. Plus the backyard patio and oasis are the perfect playground for a party. Can you imagine karaoke on the water? Or rock and roll with Emerald City?

I cannot believe there is a home right smack near Jan-Mar for less than half a million. This one is actually, are you ready, only $350,000! Listen up people: $141 a square foot!

You get three bedrooms, two full baths, three living areas, two dining areas in a circa 1954 that screams mid-century modern from Hillcrest to LBJ! 7714 Midbury is perfectly sized (I think) at 2,294 square feet. OK, I know she looks like she needs a little work, but folks this here is a diamond in the rough. And what a great price! Oh if it’s a lot you seek, this pup is .37 of a lush wooded acre, 100 by 161.

Wait. Oh oh. Turns out this is located in the part of Hill Haven with those blasted restrictive deed covenants that do not allow for two-story construction. I myself am not a fan of these deed restrictions, someday I’ll tell you why. So it will be very interesting to track this house an an indicator of what deed restrctions can do to values.

But I do think this home could be vamped up like all get out — from the clean lines to the flat roof. I don’t have to tell you about the location: inside LBJ, and Hillcrest is the best do-it-all road in town. The problem is, if I were buying it, I might not want to build a second story or get any larger, but the next owner might. And that’s what worries me about these restrictions. It’s not what you want, but what if you had to unload a place fast: is it marketable?

By the way, the agent tells me Mark Albert with Arthouse built a beauty at 7817 Midbury, a 4,000-square-foot mod split-level that sold for $1.1 million in the same restricted area. Splits are apparently “allowed,” just not true two-stories. Of course, the builder was smart enough to hire architect extraordinaire Bruce Birnbaum of Birnbaum-Magadini to consult. So very smart: Bruce is on the Architectural Review Board for Hill Haven Heights!